Testimonials

March 11, 2016
Marigold Elementary School

Shady Creek Staff:

My son, Jared, attended Shady Creek with Marigold Elementary. My older son, Nick, attended as his counselor. Jared has Type 1 Diabetes and I was that parent who was freaking out a bit in preparing and planning for his week. 😉

I just wanted to say thank you. Jared had an amazing time and everything went great. My older son loved Shady Creek as a 6th grader and it was exciting to see Jared come home feeling the same way. Nick plans to apply to be a counselor again next year and Jared hopes to do it when he is a Junior/Senior as well.

Thank you for answering questions, providing reassurance that it had been done before, supplying the menu and being so accessible. The entire Shady Creek staff was wonderful and as Jared’s protective mother I am thankful.

Kami

November 14, 2011

Park Avenue School

Nancy Allison – 5th Grade Teacher

I just wanted to let you know that our Park Avenue students had an amazing week at Shady Creek –again! We spent a lot of time in the woods and by the creek learning about habitats, adaptations, and relationships in nature and in our communities. We learned astronomy during our night hike and spent time learning and singing science songs during the evening programs. Incidentally, while having all this fun, students’ science vocabulary and knowledge of scientific concepts was growing! But Shady Cree is so much more than academic knowledge; there is so much personal growth and increased self-confidence as students take on the challenges of being away from home, making new friends, and exploring a new environment.

It is truly an incredible, once in a lifetime experience for our students. I feel honored that I get to share this experience with our fifth graders each year and thankful that this has been a priority in our school. On our first class hike into the woods on Tuesday morning I had a student tell me, “I’ve been waiting for this since kindergarten!”.

So we are back! Tired, sore, and exhausted (this may only be true for the teachers – and only some of the teachers!) and changed. A week with no emails, Facebook, newspapers, or TV. A week talking about how the American Indians lived, sitting in a teepee, listening to and writing Indian legends, and studying Indian artifacts. I’ve recaptured the magic of Shady Creek, the realization that we are all important and special and (like all creatures in nature) all linked together. I hope I don’t lose the magic of Shady Creek.

In this time of financial challenges, I just wanted to let you know how much our students benefited from this experience! Thanks for all your support.